This invention relates to a fitment for a bottle, jar or the like for holding spices and similar food products. A fitment of this general type is disclosed in Westgate U.S. Pat. No. 3,018,931.
The fitment of the Westgate patent is made of a single piece of resiliently yieldable plastic and includes a circular top wall with an annular skirt depending therefrom. The skirt is adapted to telescope and interlock with the neck of the jar to hold the fitment on the neck. A generally semi-circular dispensing opening is formed through the top wall and is adapted to be selectively closed by a generally similarly shaped flap which is swingably connected to the top wall by a so-called living hinge. By swinging the flap upwardly to an open position, the contents of the jar may be either poured from or spooned out of the ar through the dispensing opening. Small holes are formed through the flap to enable the product to be sifted from the jar when the flap is closed.
In the Westgate fitment, the flap is releasably held in its closed position by means of a rib on the underside of the flap and spaced a substantial distance from the free edge of the flap. When the flap is closed, the rib projects below and releasably engages a catch defined on the periphery of the dispensing opening. As a result of this arrangement, the underside of the fitment is shaped as a stepped configuration and does not lend itself to providing satisfactory support and backing for a sealing disc which serves as a freshness and tamper-evident seal. Moreover, the total area of the dispensing opening is comparatively small in relation to the diameter of the fitment.
While other fitments accommodate a sealing disc and have a hinged flap, the flap and the dispensing opening are very small. Moreover, the skirt is interrupted near the free edge of the flap and is not circumferentially continuous.